£47,700 Fine for Breaches of Marketing Regulations

On 23^rd June 2021, at the Oxford Magistrates’ Court, one of the UK’s leading egg packing companies pleaded guilty to nine charges under the Eggs and Chicks (England) Regulations 2009. The offences each concerned failure to comply with provisions relating to the quality and marketing of eggs set out in Commission Regulation (EC) 589/2008.

Egg marketing inspectors attended Noble Foods Ltd’s packing centre in Standlake near Witney on several occasions between July 2019 and March 2020. Of 62 batches of eggs tested, 28 did not meet quality standards. The failure rates were between 6.7% and 14.4%, each in excess of the 5% tolerance permitted by the Community Regulation.

The company accepted the failings but argued that it had made significant changes since the dates in question. District Judge Rana imposed a fine of £5,300 on each of the nine offences, to a total of £47,700. The court also directed payment of a victim surcharge and costs.

Local news coverage can be found here.

The case was prosecuted by William Dean, who was instructed by Simon Tunnicliffe of the CPS’s Mersey Cheshire Fraud Unit.